The Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra government to submit details of the number of cases pertaining to offences against women lodged in the state and the number of cases sent to a committee for approval of compensation to the victim under the Manodhairya scheme.
The Manodhairya Scheme envisages disbursement of compensation and rehabilitation of rape survivors and victims of other offences against women.
A division bench of justices A S Oka and A A Sayed asked the government to submit a chart giving details of number of FIRs lodged from June 30, 2016, till date pertaining to offences against women and how many cases have been sent to the government-appointed committee for approval of compensation.
The court directed the government to submit details of Mumbai within three weeks and the remaining state within six weeks. The bench was today informed by the government that from October, 2013 to March, 2016, a total of 4,809 cases pertaining to offences against women were registered in the state, of which 3,714 have been approved by the committee for compensation. Of the 3714, compensation has been given in 1,999 cases while in the remaining ones, money will be disbursed after funds are allocated.
The court directed the government to disburse compensation in the remaining cases within a month. The directions were passed in a public interest litigation by NGO Forum Against Oppression of Women, highlighting inordinate delay by the government in implementing the scheme for compensating and rehabilitating rape survivors, as envisaged in the apex court’s decision of 1994.
